Hobbit Movie News and Rumors | TheOneRing.net™ » Mikael Persbrandthttp://www.theonering.net/torwp
Forged by and for fans of J.R.R. TolkienTue, 31 Mar 2015 17:53:31 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Mikael Persbrandt talks about Beornhttp://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/04/04/88335-mikael-persbrandt-talks-about-beorn/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/04/04/88335-mikael-persbrandt-talks-about-beorn/#commentsSat, 05 Apr 2014 02:36:17 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=88335 We didn’t see a lot of Mikael Persbrandt’s Beorn in the end in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and arguably he remained all the more intriguing for it.

Here, Persbrandt chats extensively with AB Svensk Filmindustris about the big skinchanger. A choice quote where he talks about the vocal effects:

When it comes to portraying something that big — he is like, Beorn is, like, three-and-a-half metres long or something. Four metres, maybe. His lungs are like 18 litres [in capacity]. So what they do — they run it through programs I think. I have quite a deep voice myself, but they still they enchanted it a little bit.

This clip examines the design of Beorn, with interviews from actor Mikael Persbrandt and Hair/Make-up Designer Peter King.

The Blu-ray/DVD of The Desolation of Smaug will be released this coming Tuesday, April 8.

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/04/03/88301-beorn-the-shapeshifter-sneak-peek-at-desolation-of-smaug-blu-ray-bonus-features/feed/0How would have Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit looked as a duology?http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/03/25/87789-how-would-have-peter-jacksons-the-hobbit-looked-as-a-duology/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/03/25/87789-how-would-have-peter-jacksons-the-hobbit-looked-as-a-duology/#commentsTue, 25 Mar 2014 17:24:53 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=87789 Originally, Peter Jackson intended his adaptation of The Hobbit to be a two-film effort — a duology.

We’ll never know for certain how it would have turned out, but in this feature TORn writer Captain Salt brings together the known facts to give us some idea of just how it might have shaped up.

The Hobbit: a duology?

by Captain Salt

The Hobbit being adapted as a trilogy has certainly caused a lot of controversy… so much so that it may be hard to recall that the initial plan to produce a duology also drew its fair share of discourse and speculation.

From the scraps we’re able to glean (the process of adapting a two-film version has not been over-detailed to us as of yet), Peter’s Jackson’s initial The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again (no The Desolation of Smaug here) would have differed in several ways from the final product.

Once the Extended Edition of The Desolation of Smaug and There and Back Again come out later this year it’ll be easier to reconstruct Peter’s original two movie conception. In the meantime, this is one possible “what could have been” for a two-movie The Hobbit.

The prologue

Ian Holm as old Bilbo in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The idea of opening The Hobbit movies with Sir Ian Holm and Elijah Wood seems to have been in place from early on. However, the prologue was at first to feature a backstory for how Frodo came to be adopted by his “Uncle” Bilbo. Following the party scene featuring young Bilbo and Gandalf, it seems the writers intended to show Frodo moving to live at Bag End after the untimely drowning of Drogo and Primula.

Ryan Gage, ultimately cast as Alfrid Lickspittle, was to play Drogo Baggins while Australian actress Caroline Grace-Cassidy was one of the candidates in the frame for the role of Primula Brandybuck.

According to Philippa Boyens, at one point the flashback sequence detailing the history of Erebor and Dale was set to unfold during the Unexpected Party. This would have meant a shorter, more whimsical prologue featuring only the Hobbits. Boyens also mentioned they considered including the flashback following Thrain within the party scene. This would have shed more light on the pivotal Map and Key -– and perhaps even have started the Necromancer storyline in a very different way.

Another consequence of all these flashbacks occuring in Bilbo’s house would have meant an even more extended first act — and perhaps significant trims to character scenes.

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/03/25/87789-how-would-have-peter-jacksons-the-hobbit-looked-as-a-duology/feed/0Top 12 list of things to looking forward to in ‘The Hobbit: There and Back Again’http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/12/21/84934-top-11-list-of-things-to-looking-forward-to-in-the-hobbit-there-and-back-again/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/12/21/84934-top-11-list-of-things-to-looking-forward-to-in-the-hobbit-there-and-back-again/#commentsSat, 21 Dec 2013 07:31:27 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=84934

Since this is full of conjecture for the next film, consider it wall to wall spoilers!!!

Here is a list of all the things we are looking forward to seeing in ‘The Hobbit: There and Back Again’ next December. Since there are so many changes, additions and enhancements in the films, we can only know the broad strokes of what is to come with the details up for grabs. That means this list will mostly be based on events that occur in ‘The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug’ and the questions and actions they leave open heading into ‘The Hobbit: There and Back Again’

And now we begin the Spoiler filled guesswork portion of this article.

1) Legolas catching up to Bolg. Nobody, but nobody gives Leggy a bloody nose and lives.

2) Smaug’s attack on Lake-town will be epic! Bard’s response will be equally epic!

3) What exactly does it take to pry Thranduil out of Mirkwood and enter the fray? Could it be a true desire to assist the Men of Lake-town in their hour of need? Or will it be his desire to recover the missing elven gems? Or will it be a more personal desire to find and bring back Legolas and Tauriel who are missing and presumed to be in the middle of the fight already?

4) How will an injured Kili and the rest of the dwarves get out of the way of an approaching Dragon? And what about Bard’s kids?

5) Who springs Bard out of prison? Will it be Tauriel, Bofur and Fili, or might it be his son, Bain?

6) What becomes of Tauriel? Does she stay with the Dwarves and Bard’s kids or does she try to catch up to Legolas?

7) How does Gandalf get out of his pickle?

8) Radagast went to inform Galadriel of what was happening at Dol Guldur, will she go to War? Who else might come with her? Will Saruman join in or drag his feet?

9) Does Bilbo have the Arkenstone already? If not, how will things play out in Erebor while Smaug is away? And how does the Company find out about Smaug’s fate and how long does that take?

10) Is that big Orc army we see marching through Dol Guldur going to be present when the White Council shows up? Or is the army headed towards Erebor, leaving Dol Guldur rather defenseless when the White Council does show up to spring Gandalf?

11) When will Beorn decide to jump into the fray and how many dead orcs does he leave in his wake?

12) Will we see an auction beginning at Bag End with Lobelia stashing silverware into her bodice?

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/12/21/84934-top-11-list-of-things-to-looking-forward-to-in-the-hobbit-there-and-back-again/feed/0Warner Bros. full synopsis for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug provides some plot hints?http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/17/80789-warner-bros-full-synopsis-for-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-provides-some-plot-hints/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/17/80789-warner-bros-full-synopsis-for-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-provides-some-plot-hints/#commentsThu, 17 Oct 2013 13:15:35 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=80789 I can’t recall if this has been previously revealed, but this official synopsis — more complete than the short version currently on The Hobbit website — actually has some really interesting implications if you have a read through and examine who’s listed and (more importantly), who’s not.

As folks observed after the debut of the second Desolation of Smaug trailer, Guillermo del Toro is back in the credits for his work on the screenplay. There’s a co-producer nod for the late Eileen Moran as well. Highlight the space below to read the key omissions, and some fairly hefty spoiler analysis of what those omissions could mean for the movie.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The three films tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company continues East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of giant Spiders in the treacherous forest of Mirkwood. After escaping capture by the dangerous Wood-elves, the Dwarves journey to Lake-town, and finally to the Lonely Mountain itself, where they must face the greatest danger of all — a creature more terrifying than any other; one which will test not only the depth of their courage but the limits of their friendship and the wisdom of the journey itself — the Dragon Smaug.

The screenplay for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Jackson also produced the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Philippa Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.

The creative behind-the-scenes team is led by director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, editor Jabez Olssen, and hair and makeup designer Peter Swords King. The costumes are designed by Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor. Taylor is also overseeing the design and production of armour, weapons, creatures and special makeup, which are once again being made by the award-winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital is taking on the visual effects for the film, led by senior visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri. The visual effects supervisor is Eric Saindon, with David Clayton and Eric Reynolds serving as animation supervisors. The music is by Howard Shore.

Under Jackson’s direction, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” was shot in 3D 48 frames-per-second and will be released in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D) in select theaters, other 2D and 3D formats, and IMAX®. Production took place at Jackson’s own facilities in Miramar, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand. Post production took place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.

New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Present a WingNut Films Production, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. The film opens nationwide on December 13, 2013. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.

Presser ends.

Some quick spoiler analysis

Highlight below to read.

The most obvious cast omissions are Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee and Hugo Weaving. Stephen Fry is also not listed, but I can’t think of that as anything but an inadvertent oversight. I know, it is a flaw in what I’ve written below.

Anyway, just last month, Blanchett seemed to indicate uncertainty about whether she would have any scenes in The Desolation of Smaug. This seems to be a clincher — the absence of the Aussie star from this list almost certainly means the answer is no.

For comparison, here’s the cast credits list from the presser for An Unexpected Journey:

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” in “The Hobbit” Trilogy are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The international ensemble cast of the trilogy also includes (in alphabetical order) Manu Bennett, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner.

The absence of Blanchett, Lee and Weaving would mean no new White Council scenes in DOS, no decision to attack Dol Guldur, and certainly no attack on the fortress itself. Thus one concludes that Gandalf will spend the bulk of his time searching for the source of the evil that is corrupting Mirkwood — first in the High Fells, and then in the ruins of Dol Guldur itself. If that’s the case culmination of Gandalf’s scenes may be some dramatic confrontation not with just the Witch-king, but with the re-forming spirit of Sauron — the Dark Lord himself.

All very speculative, I know! What do TORn’s readers think?

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/17/80789-warner-bros-full-synopsis-for-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-provides-some-plot-hints/feed/0Was the Beorn of The Hobbit a were-bear?http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/04/80053-was-the-beorn-of-the-hobbit-a-were-bear/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/04/80053-was-the-beorn-of-the-hobbit-a-were-bear/#commentsSat, 05 Oct 2013 00:09:18 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=80053 With the human face of Beorn finally revealed (Warning: visual spoilers on that link!), I thought readers might be interested in a little bit of book character history and background.

The most common questions that people ask concern his ability to change shape. Is it magical? Is he cursed? Does he have control over it? Did Tolkien mean Beorn to be some kind of beserker?

Here, Tolkien scholar Michael Martinez has a quick look at the evidence available.

Was Beorn in The Hobbit a Were-bear?

A were-bear, like a were-wolf, is a man who unwillingly transforms into the shape of an animal (a bear). In The Hobbit Gandalf says of Beorn that he is a “skin-changer”, meaning something other than a were-bear. In Letter No. 144, written in April 1954, Tolkien wrote to Naomi Mitcheson:

Beorn is dead; see vol. I p. 241. He appeared in The Hobbit. It was then the year Third Age 2940 (Shire-reckoning 1340). We are now in the years 3018-19 (1418-19). Though a skin-changer and no doubt a bit of a magician, Beorn was a Man.

In The Hobbit Gandalf provides as much background concerning Beorn as one is likely to find in any Tolkien book:

…He is a skin-changer. He changes his skin; sometimes he is a huge black bear, sometimes he is a great strong black-haired man with huge arms and a great beard. I cannot tell you much more, though that ought to be enough. Some say that he is a bear descended from the great and ancient bears of the mountains that lived there before the giants came. Others say that he is a man descended from the first men who lived before Smaug or the other dragons came into this part of the world, and before the goblins came into the hills out of the North. I cannot say, though I fancy the last is the true tale. He is not the sort of person to ask questions of.

“At any rate he is under no enchantment but his own. He lives in an oak-wood and has a great wooden house; and as a man he keeps cattle and horses which are nearly is marvellous as himself. They work for him and talk to him. He does not eat them; neither does he hunt or eat wild animals. He keeps hives and hives of great fierce bees, and lives most on cream and honey. As a bear he ranges far and wide. I once saw him sitting all alone on the top of the Carrock at night watching the moon sinking towards the Misty Mountains, and I heard him growl in the tongue of bears; ‘The day will come when they will perish and I shall go back!’ That is why I believe he once came from the mountains himself.

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]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/04/80053-was-the-beorn-of-the-hobbit-a-were-bear/feed/0Finally! See the human face of Beorn!http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/04/80027-finally-see-the-human-face-of-beorn/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/04/80027-finally-see-the-human-face-of-beorn/#commentsFri, 04 Oct 2013 10:09:02 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=80027 It’s one of the things that we’ve been waiting for and waiting for — the opportunity to see what Peter Jackson’s Beorn looks like in human form. From the front.

For some this will be a huge SPOILER. So run away now if you’re avoiding them!

Note the axe that he’s holding in his right hand, too. When the now slightly infamous calendar shot of Beorn from behind found it’s way onto the internet, some wondered why Beorn’s left arm was at an odd angle. It seems likely that he’s holding that massive axe.

So what do you think? Do you like the forked beard look? Does the front-view allay the fears that many expressed when the low-resolution calendar image leaked? Let us now your thoughts in the comments below!

Introducing Beorn!

TheOneRing.net can confirm that this the real deal. We have been able to obtain from NZ photographer Tim Clayton a license to reproduce a high-resolution copy of one of the photos he took at the Paradise set from outside the exclusion zone while filming was taking place back in 2011. As the crop — see below — of this photo reveals, there is a be-whiskered Mikael Persbrandt standing beside Peter Jackson, waiting for the crew to finish preparations.

Update: The Production has asked us if we could remove our exclusive spy image for now. But rest assured, it really is Beorn above.

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/04/80027-finally-see-the-human-face-of-beorn/feed/0Fans sketch Beorn’s likeness from Eagles’ descriptionhttp://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/09/18/79290-fans-sketch-beorns-likeness-from-the-eagles-description/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/09/18/79290-fans-sketch-beorns-likeness-from-the-eagles-description/#commentsWed, 18 Sep 2013 14:55:58 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=79290 Just a couple of days ago, we exclusively revealed a description of the human face of Beorn via The Eagles of Manwe.

A couple of artistic Ringers were inspired pick up pencil (or maybe their Wacom tablet) and see if they could turn the words of The Eagles of Manwe into an image of Beorn’s human likeness as it might appear on cinema screens in December.

So without further ado, here are their concepts of just what Beorn might look like!

Bootnote: Remember, these are the conceptual sketches of readers based on The Eagles’ description from the Glenorchy set. Details will undoubtedly vary in some respects from “the real thing”.

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/09/18/79290-fans-sketch-beorns-likeness-from-the-eagles-description/feed/0A description of the face of Beornhttp://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/09/16/78795-a-description-of-the-face-of-beorn/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/09/16/78795-a-description-of-the-face-of-beorn/#commentsMon, 16 Sep 2013 15:53:08 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=78795Via The Eagles of Manwe, which see all from afar, we are able to bring you this description of the face of Beorn. Our highly reputable source accidentally caught our favourite shape-shifter on location during principal photography in late 2011 at the Beorn’s Hall set near Paradise in Glenorchy.

Wearing an actor’s dressing gown, he stands patiently beside Sir Peter while the crew bustle all around, wrangling farm animals and setting up for a scene.

Equally striking are the stiff bristles of the beard that sweeps around Persbrandt’s jaw on either cheek. It’s much more than a Mutton-chop yet not entirely a French Fork. In fact, this beard almost resembles the tusks of a boar — and juts forth pugnaciously at onlookers.

We think this sounds a little like John Howe‘s and Alan Lee’s work for the 2013 Tolkien Calendar. Although certain to not be exactly the same, we’re starting to wonder if Peter Jackson’s Beorn won’t bear a little resemblance to the sketch in the montage below.

From the 2013 Tolkien Calendar illustrated by John Howe and Alan Lee. Beorn at centre-right.

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/09/16/78795-a-description-of-the-face-of-beorn/feed/0A new image of Beorn in bear-form!http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/30/77983-a-new-image-of-beorn-in-bear-form/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/30/77983-a-new-image-of-beorn-in-bear-form/#commentsFri, 30 Aug 2013 13:50:43 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=77983 A new image of Beorn (played by Mikael Persbrandt) in his angry bear-form, apparently from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Annual 2014 has appeared out in the wild on the internet.

Looks like it could be related to that scene from the trailer where Thorin & Company are trying to barricade the doors to Beorn’s hall in somewhat of a panic.

What do you think of it? If you like what you see, remember you can order your copy of the book from Amazon.

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/30/77983-a-new-image-of-beorn-in-bear-form/feed/0Hall of Fire chat log: Can we bear Beornhttp://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/24/77558-hall-of-fire-chat-log-can-we-bear-beorn/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/24/77558-hall-of-fire-chat-log-can-we-bear-beorn/#commentsSat, 24 Aug 2013 11:35:20 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=77558 Last weekend, The Hall of Fire examined what’s undoubtedly the movie topic of the moment — the character and appearance of Beorn. Lots of thoughtful opinions from all sides, and some interesting analysis of the mythic roots of Tolkien’s shapeshifter as well as of Alan Lee, John Howe and Ted Nasmith’s classic illustrations. Plenty of spoilers, too! For those who couldn’t attend, here’s a log.

Also, this weekend (Saturday August 24 at 6pm EDT (New York time)) we’ll be returning to our Lord of the Rings book chats. This week we begin the first chapter of book four — The Taming of Smeagol — so be sure to join us for this exciting topic!

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/24/77558-hall-of-fire-chat-log-can-we-bear-beorn/feed/0TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – August 18, 2013http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/19/77390-torn-message-boards-weekly-roundup-august-18-2013/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/19/77390-torn-message-boards-weekly-roundup-august-18-2013/#commentsMon, 19 Aug 2013 08:24:54 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=77390Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the week ending August 18, 2013. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch up on the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the link to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join the fun!

We’ll share more topics next week. We hope you’ll come and join in the conversations! Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s message boards have over 9,950 registered Tolkien fans, just like you. Let your voice be heard!